Resonating bipolarons

Electrons coupled to local lattice deformations end up in selftrapped localized molecular states involving their binding into bipolarons when the coupling is stronger than a certain critical value. Below that value they exist as essentially itinerant electrons. We propose that the abrupt crossover between the two regimes can be described by resonant pairing similar to the Feshbach resonance in binary atomic collision processes. Given the intrinsically local nature of the exchange of pairs of itinerant electrons and localized bipolarons, we demonstrate the occurrence of such a resonance on a finite-size cluster made out of metallic atoms surrounding a polaronic ligand center.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Europhysics Letter

Nodal/Antinodal Dichotomy and the Two Gaps of a Superconducting Doped Mott Insulator

We study the superconducting state of the hole-doped two-dimensional Hubbard model using Cellular Dynamical Mean Field Theory, with the Lanczos method as impurity solver. In the under-doped regime, we find a natural decomposition of the one-particle (photoemission) energy-gap into two components. The gap in the nodal regions, stemming from the anomalous self-energy, decreases with decreasing doping. The antinodal gap has an additional contribution from the normal component of the self-energy, inherited from the normal-state pseudogap, and it increases as the Mott insulating phase is approached.Comment: Corrected typos, 4.5 pages, 4 figure

Pauli susceptibility of nonadiabatic Fermi liquids

The nonadiabatic regime of the electron-phonon interaction leads to behaviors of some physical measurable quantities qualitatively different from those expected from the Migdal-Eliashberg theory. Here we identify in the Pauli paramagnetic susceptibility $\chi$ one of such quantities and show that the nonadiabatic corrections reduce $\chi$ with respect to its adiabatic limit. We show also that the nonadiabatic regime induces an isotope dependence of $\chi$, which in principle could be measured.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, euromacr.tex, europhys.sty. Replaced with accepted version (Europhysics Letters

Hematocrit Values Predict Carotid Intimal-Media Thickness in Obese Patients With Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Literature data suggest with some criticism that full-fledged cardiovascular (CV) events (acute or chronic) are likely predicted by blood components, which are reported to be associated with the presence/severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study was aimed at determining which marker(s) derived from blood count, such as white blood cells, neutrophils, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet count, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, hematocrit values were associated with ear or subclinical atherosclerosis, in obese patients of various classes suffering from NAFLD. METHODS: One hundred consecutive obese patients presenting NAFLD at ultrasound, with low prevalence of co-morbidities and no history or instrumental features of CV diseases, underwent carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) assessment by Doppler ultrasonography. All of them were studied taking into account anthropometric parameters, the metabolic profile, and inflammatory markers. RESULTS: White blood cells and neutrophil count showed no statistical association with IMT, which was predicted by the amount of visceral adiposity, as appreciated by ultrasonography. After adjusting for visceral adiposity and smoking status, only age and hematocrit contextually predicted early atherosclerosis, evaluated as IMT. Visceral adiposity was a confounding factor in foreseeing IMT. CONCLUSION: Hematocrit values along with the patient's age suggest an initial atherosclerosis, evaluated as IMT, and if this finding is confirmed in larger cohorts, could be added to other canonical CV risk factors. Inferences can be enhanced by future prospective studies that aim to identify the relationships between incident cardio-metabolic cases and this hematologic parameter

High-temperature optical spectral weight and Fermi liquid renormalization in Bi-based cuprates

The optical conductivity and the spectral weight W(T) of two superconducting cuprates at optimum doping, Bi2Sr2-xLaxCuO6 and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8, have been first measured up to 500 K. Above 300 K, W(T) deviates from the usual T2 behavior in both compounds, even though the zero-frequency extrapolation of the optical conductivity remains larger than the Ioffe-Regel limit. The deviation is surprisingly well described by the T4 term of the Sommerfeld expansion, but its coefficients are enhanced by strong correlation. This renormalization is due to strong correlation, as shown by the good agreement with dynamical mean field calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Physical Review Letters in pres

Quantum lattice dynamical effects on the single-particle excitations in 1D Mott and Peierls insulators

As a generic model describing quasi-one-dimensional Mott and Peierls insulators, we investigate the Holstein-Hubbard model for half-filled bands using numerical techniques. Combining Lanczos diagonalization with Chebyshev moment expansion we calculate exactly the photoemission and inverse photoemission spectra and use these to establish the phase diagram of the model. While polaronic features emerge only at strong electron-phonon couplings, pronounced phonon signatures, such as multi-quanta band states, can be found in the Mott insulating regime as well. In order to corroborate the Mott to Peierls transition scenario, we determine the spin and charge excitation gaps by a finite-size scaling analysis based on density-matrix renormalization group calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Quasiparticle evolution and pseudogap formation in V2O3: An infrared spectroscopy study

The infrared conductivity of V2O3 is measured in the whole phase diagram. Quasiparticles appear above the Neel temperature TN and eventually disappear further enhancing the temperature, leading to a pseudogap in the optical spectrum above 425 K. Our calculations demonstrate that this loss of coherence can be explained only if the temperature dependence of lattice parameters is considered. V2O3 is therefore effectively driven from the metallic to the insulating side of the Mott transition as the temperature is increased.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Isotope effect on the superfluid density in conventional and high-temperature superconductors

We investigate the isotope effect on the London penetration depth of a superconductor which measures $n_S/m^*$, the ratio of superfluid density to effective mass. We use a simplified model of electrons weakly coupled to a single phonon frequency $\omega_E$, but assume that the energy gap $\Delta$ does not have any isotope effect. Nevertheless we find an isotope effect for $n_S/m^*$ which is significant if $\Delta$ is sufficiently large that it becomes comparable to $\omega_E$, a regime of interest to high $T_c$ cuprate superconductors and possibly other families of unconventional superconductors with relatively high $T_c$. Our model is too simple to describe the cuprates and it gives the wrong sign of the isotope effect when compared with experiment, but it is a proof of principle that the isotope effect exists for $n_S/m^*$ in materials where the pairing gap and $T_c$ is not of phonon origin and has no isotope effect.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Static vs. dynamical mean field theory of Mott antiferromagnets

Studying the antiferromagnetic phase of the Hubbard model by dynamical mean field theory, we observe striking differences with static (Hartree-Fock) mean field: The Slater band is strongly renormalized and spectral weight is transferred to spin-polaron side bands. Already for intermediate values of the interaction $U$ the overall bandwidth is larger than in Hartree-Fock, and the gap is considerably smaller. Such differences survive any renormalization of $U$. Our photoemission experiments for Cr-doped V$_2$O$_3$ show spectra qualitatively well described by dynamical mean field theory.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures - one figure added and further details about quasiparticle dispersio

Anomalous superconductivity and its competition with antiferromagnetism in doped Mott insulators

Proximity to a Mott insulating phase is likely to be an important physical ingredient of a theory that aims to describe high-temperature superconductivity in the cuprates. Quantum cluster methods are well suited to describe the Mott phase. Hence, as a step towards a quantitative theory of the competition between antiferromagnetism (AFM) and d-wave superconductivity (SC) in the cuprates, we use Cellular Dynamical Mean Field Theory to compute zero temperature properties of the two-dimensional square lattice Hubbard model. The d-wave order parameter is found to scale like the superexchange coupling J for on-site interaction U comparable to or larger than the bandwidth. The order parameter also assumes a dome shape as a function of doping while, by contrast, the gap in the single-particle density of states decreases monotonically with increasing doping. In the presence of a finite second-neighbor hopping t', the zero temperature phase diagram displays the electron-hole asymmetric competition between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity that is observed experimentally in the cuprates. Adding realistic third-neighbor hopping t'' improves the overall agreement with the experimental phase diagram. Since band parameters can vary depending on the specific cuprate considered, the sensitivity of the theoretical phase diagram to band parameters challenges the commonly held assumption that the doping vs T_{c}/T_{c}^{max} phase diagram of the cuprates is universal. The calculated ARPES spectrum displays the observed electron-hole asymmetry. Our calculations reproduce important features of d-wave superconductivity in the cuprates that would otherwise be considered anomalous from the point of view of the standard BCS approach.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure